We had several runners racing over the hot-weather August weekend, both on the Dublin roads and Wexford mountain trails.
Donna Quinn, Colm Kenna and William Belton competed at Phoenix Park for the Dublin Race Series 10 Mile. Donna finished the race in a time of 1:14.04, placing an impressive 12th out of 339 in her gender/age group. Not far behind, Colm finished the run in 1:24.16, and William followed up in 1:30.15. By all reports it was a hot day on the tarmac!
Meanwhile in Wexford Barry O’Neill ran the IMRA Sliabh Bui Southeast League race. This hilly course was a mix of single track, forest trail and fast fire roads, totalling just over 13km with 360m of climbs. No official results have yet been published, but Barry completed the course in a respectable time of 1:10.04.
Glendalough AC proudly hosted the Run the Ridge series on Saturday 17 August.
The two ‘Run the Ridge’ races consisted of a 20 km mixed mountain and trail run across the spectacular Derrybawn Ridge, and 10km trail run and a junior race through Derrybawn Woods.. This race was setup to raise funds for local club Laragh GAA and organised with the help of experienced runners and organisers from Glendalough AC.
Our runners arrived in this our 4th edition of Run the Ridge to be greeted by a cloudy but sunny start. This year saw our 8km route replaced with a longer and higher 10km trail offering even more superb views. Recces and marking of our 20km route revealed three significant conifer trees down across the half way point and a river running down a trail off the summit. This resulted in an additional obstacle course being provided for, which in mountain running means more fun! With a combined field of over 100 runners, after the usual race briefing including the extra obstacles, first off were the 20k runners. GMAC club member Derek in the meantime was transporting a small team of marshals to their designated places in the back of his van.
The runners were so fast up the first hill they caught everybody by surprise. With the 2016 course record of 1:30:37 set by Adrian Hennessy in their eyes this may have distracted the first 15 or so runners who tragically turned left instead of right at the critical first T-junction. Some swore they saw Colin McRaes ghost rallying after the 15 runners. But even Colin McRae would have been impressed with the skilful rallying by Derek in his Volkswagen Transporter van. The Marshals in the back got a quick lesson on hanging on for dear life! However this heroic act saw the runners backtrack about one kilometre off course and the race was then truly on!
Exactly
30 minutes later the 10k race began with this years route providing a
more technical section proving quite interesting for those (most) who
wore road shoes! All 10k runners here were trend setters for future a
course record. In both races tales of a few spills, trips, nav moments,
laughs, munching on blueberries, tranquility, wet feet, bog-holes and
rogue deer were amongst the subjects discussed over the finish line.
Some kind words were heard about the final lap of the pitch being cruel,
torture, or of tactical benefit to some. First home in the 10k race
and course record setter was Maria O’Sullivan in a time of 48:18, a
magnificent time with so many climbs. Considering the previous record
for the 8k was 40:36 on easier and less technical ground, Maria showed a
powerful performance to cover the additional 2 kms just 8 minutes off
the 8km time and now a course / Female record to celebrate. 1st Male
across the line was over one minute later and still a mean time of 49:24
The
real challenge for the 20k runners was for the top-15 runners who added
an additional 2km’s to their race and then to try to makeup those
positions again, not knowing who had gone ahead of them. This meant a
blistering chasing climb up the Wicklow Way and across the ridge. A mid
afternoon shower cooled some on the ridge and topped up the river on
the descent forcing good use of balance and advantages to those who have
done skiing before! However everyone got back down off the mountain
safely. A real battle occurred on the long final descent onto the pitch
between Robin Mooney and Stephen Hurley with just 5 seconds between
both runners having made an epic recovery from an additional 2km of
course to pass everybody. Robin held out first home in a fantastic time
of 1:41:05 with Stephen Hurley finishing just 5 seconds behind, both
obviously exhausted and battered by their efforts. First Female home
was Linda O’Connor who finished strongly with a big smile and a time of
1:51:45.
All marshals and sweepers returned safely with more plasters and pampering being dished out to them certainly not because of the rallying in the back of the van!! All competitors, visitors and our fantastic volunteers tucked into the well earned tea, coffee and yummy cakes and had a bit of banter after the race. Glendalough AC and Laragh GAA appreciate the support of all volunteers that turned up on the day and helped organise such an enjoyable event. It is the competitors and volunteering crew enjoying the competing and organising that makes trail running so enjoyable and ensures that Run the Ridge will remain successful hopefully into future years. A late surprise to all 20k runners was notification that following registration to ITRA this years Run the Ridge now offers each 20k finisher one ITRA point. This will prove interesting for the field next year…..
The team very nearly didn’t make the starting line. First Torben Dahl called in with a poor IT band Tuesday evening (he had a miracle recovery), Angus Tyner did in his ankle on Wednesday night (he didn’t recover) and finally Amidou Dembele’s car broke down in Sligo on the way down from Donegal Friday evening. One rental car later Amidou was at least on his way to Dublin but injury and other commitments in the men’s team meant genuine concerns existed around whether Angus could be replaced.
That was until Richard Costelloe dusted himself off early in his Ballyhoura recovery and took over in the eleventh hour (thanks Rich!) and making his debut in the event. Derek Cullen and Anthony Breen also had their debuts on the ‘official team’ having previously only competed in the event along with the ‘Laragh Locals’. He ran strong despite sheepishly admitting his house-renovation project had left him short of training since qualifying!
The times they are a-changin’!
The final team thus bore only 4 repeat runners from 2018: Rachel Wisdom, Torben Dahl, Amidou Dembele and Yvonne Brennan with Marcus Murphy, Angus Tyner, and Blaise Kinsella (injured) and Johnny Conway (moved to London!) making way. By accident rather than design, the four returning runners ran the first four legs!
Barry O’Neill bore the captain’s mantle and sat down with club coach Rene Borg to bang out a time schedule based on people’s predictions. It was pretty good as it proved – the team predicted an 8 hour 31 minute finish and crossed the line in 8:29 – 45 seconds faster than the 2018 team.
Predicted versus real times
Looking at the team line up, we knew ahead of team that getting into the top-10 would be hard enough with many closely matched teams behind the run-away top-2 (TT Racers and Rathfarnham – TT Racers going on to do an unprecedented ‘4 in a row’).
Flying as high as 4th early on, the team eventually settled in 8th place (2 spots up from 2018) meaning a fifth top-10 finish in five years. No one got lost, no one was late and no one had any notable trouble along the route so that is about as uneventful as a Wicklow Way Relay can get. Even our tracker didn’t give out.
Placings by leg:
Leg 1: 9th Amidou
Leg 2: 5th Torben Dahl
Leg 3: 10th Yvonne Brennan
Leg 4: 15th Rachel Wisdom
Leg 5: 12th Richard Costelloe
Leg 6: 16th Derek Cullen
Leg 7: 11th Anthony Breen
Leg 8: 6th Barry O’Neill
Some history
Amidou Dembele ran Leg 1 for the eighth time – the joint-most attempts on leg 1 in the competitions history along with Nadya Dunne and Derek Charles. He has a bit to go to break the record for ‘most attempts at a leg’ which belongs to Tommy Galvin who has run leg 2 twelve times (!).
We keep track of every club runners history in the relay and it can be seen below with the 2019 times. Times before 2015 were run by these runner for their previous clubs/teams.
Barry O’Neill’s leg 8 time is the fastest time set by a male runner in our club and the third fastest overall and Torben Dahl’s 74:02 on leg 2 is a new club record. Rachel Wisdom’s leg 4 time was the fastest female time on the new (since 2018) extended leg 4 course.
Meanwhile earlier in the week at Downshill, our runners kept polishing off the form for the Wicklow Way Relay. Torben finished a good 5th followed by Barry O’Neill in 13th and Richard Costelloe in 25th. Colm Kenna was 93rd.
The final chance to make a claim for our Wicklow Way Relay team was had in the Devil’s Glen where a new and faster course was inaugurated. Torben Dahl – already preselected – underlined his credentials finishing 10th as our first man across the line.
Barry O’Neill had another stomping run to finish 22nd and he was followed by Richard Costelloe in 34th and Colm Kenna in 98th. 136 runners competed. One round of the Trail League remains and Torben sits in 8th with Barry O’Neill joint-14th.
A great turn-out from the club at the first of the IMRA Trail League series: seven GMACers turned out to race AND we still managed to have a good group out for the subsequent Thursday evening group training. The IMRA race drew a good field of 171 for the race which is probably the closest trail race to the N11!
Torben Dahl was first GMACer across the post. Second home, and thus doing his chance of making the Wicklow Way Relay team no harm, was Barry O’Neill in 30th
As three or more runners competed in this race from our club, it automatically became a counter in the club championships – the first of the season.
Derek Cullen was next and he had a close battle with Richard Costello who was only 6 seconds behind. Yvonne was our only female representative finishing 5th lady and second F40.
Anthony Breen was running well on the trails last weekend. The Coole run 5k and 10k trail races were held again to raise funds for Ballymena GFC and Anthony competed in the 10 km race finishing 6th overall and first M40.
On a day where three of the four course records were broken on the Maurice Mullins 25 km and 50 km races, it was fitting that our two representatives in the 50k also had personal bests.
For Keith Mulvey it was a mere second better than previous times whereas for Richard Costelloe it represented his first stab at the race and at any ultra-distance race. Well done lads on a mighty effort!
Glendalough AC 